Minami-ke Okaeri – 09

Part 1: Orange wars
Kana chows away at a couple of oranges… naturally, Chiaki wants one too, but as she reaches for the nearest one, her hand is intercepted by Touma’s…

*fight*

The next day, Uchida consults Makoto on how to break up the tension between Chiaki and Touma, and Makoto decides that they need to figure out what started it – to the Minami house! Mako-chan chaaaange~

When questioned, Kana claims not to know anything. You know, as she’s delicately peeling her orange and preventing everyone else from having one. With deadly chops.

Meanwhile, Chiaki and Touma have reconciled their orange differences, and return home to find the three girls duking it out over the remaining oranges. Kana hurls a peel at Mako-chan – direct hit! – on Chiaki’s head.

Part 2: You know what they say about guys with big feet
Chiaki is diligently sewing a giantic Christmas stocking in class, supposedly to give Santa a not-so-subtle hint, or perhaps she just wants to give him more space, just in case. Either way, Haruka is having a tough time trying to figure out what Chiaki wants, so she consults Fujioka-kun, of Fujioka-kuma fame. Coincidentally, Fujioka had already brought his presents for them – mittens! Welp, that’s probably good enough for the gigantic stocking…

Only mittens? Mittens?! Apparently Santa needs a bailout package too…

Part 3: Timing is everything
Every year, Touma wakes up on Christmas day to find a present at her bedside – but not this year! Apparently Natsuki forgot it this year, but Haruka isn’t having any of that… she calls up Natsuki and gives him an earful. His reason – he was playing games with Touma until late into the night, so he totally forgot, lol. “Well, she’s past the age where you get gifts, anyways…”

Fearing Haruka’s wrath, Natsuki writes himself a note to remind himself… and leaves it on the table. Of course, Touma finds it, and while she tries to play it off honorably by giving Natsuki an out, baka aniki finds a way to screw it up…

Part 4: Christmas in Hosaka imaginationland
Stalker Hosaka overhears Haruka’s conversation about Chiaki’s present and is immediately filled with thoughts of Christmas. How does he get in the holiday mood? By getting a part-time job as a cake vendor – in the hopes that a cold and listless Haruka will walk by asking for a cake. It all plays out so perfectly in his dream, but it turns out that Haruka already bought a cake, and those strawberry lips he’s kissing is actually a strawberry. Or maybe a peach. At least the icing gave him a pretty sweet beard!

Preview

Next on Minami-ke Okaeri – touma, touma, with long hair she’d look like dragonball’s bulma (not rly but it’s the only rhyme i could come up with)

Thoughts
Sorry for the delay on this, I was at the game watching the Jazz do layup lines on the Warriors late in the 4th quarter… sigh

To be quite honest, this was a really awkward episode for me. The story didn’t feel like it was up to snuff, the timing of a Christmas epsiode just seems really weird (we’re at that time of year where Christmas was long enough ago that it just seems like the next one is still real far away), and perhaps most annoyingly, the animation quality was just… ughhhh. Perhaps I notice this more because I had to take screenshots (it’s so hard to find 30+ unique looking shots in this show), but every couple of moments I get the feeling that the camera angle could have been better, but was relegated to an inferior position because it was easier/cheaper to draw. Ah well, I can’t really complain… Minami-ke has consistently been one of the few shows that keeps me entertained every week in the way I like to be entertained.

Looks like we’re getting more Touma next week, and a more girlish side of her, if that.

You shouldnt apologize for the terrible animation. While i was watching this show that scene jumped out at me like nothing; I paused it to be sure it was that bad and it was. That chick didnt move for 35 seconds and her face(mouth/eyes were sideways) I thought for sure she had a stroke